The sum of $5$ consecutive even numbers is $260$. What is the fourth number in this sequence?
Solution: Call the first number in the sequence $x$ The next even number in the sequence is $x + 2$ The sum of the $5$ consecutive even numbers is: $x+ (x + 2)+ (x + 4)+ (x + 6)+ (x + 8) = 260$ $5x + 20= 260$ $5x = 240$ $x = 48$ Since $x$ is the first number, $x + 6$ is the fourth even number. Thus, the fourth number in the sequence is $54$.